Develop a plan to destroy illegal gold mines in Ben Quan commune

On the morning of July 30, information from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Quang Tri province said that in order to completely handle illegal gold mining activities in Vinh O and Vinh Ha communes, former Vinh Linh district (now Ben Quan commune), the Provincial People's Committee issued documents assigning the Provincial Military Command to preside over and coordinate with relevant departments, branches and localities to develop a plan to destroy all illegal gold mines in this area.

Old gold mines were discovered near the "gold bandits'" campsite in mid-July 2025 - Photo: LT

Accordingly, the Provincial People's Committee issued Official Dispatch No. 2089/UBND-KT dated May 15, 2025, assigning the Provincial Military Command to preside over and coordinate with relevant departments, branches and localities to develop a plan to destroy all remaining illegal gold mines.

Then, on July 11, 2025, the Provincial People's Committee issued Document No. 76/UBND-NNMT, requesting the Provincial Military Command to urgently implement and report the results. By July 22, 2025, the Provincial Military Command issued Plan No. 491/KH-BCH and is currently implementing it, expected to complete and report the results before August 25, 2025.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment, dealing with illegal gold mines by collapsing them is a dangerous and complicated task, requiring careful survey, geological and environmental assessment, safety in order to use explosives properly and close coordination between specialized forces.

In addition, the development of plans, assignment of forces, arrangement of means, safety training... require time to organize and implement systematically and in accordance with regulations. Therefore, the collapse of illegal gold mining tunnels cannot be carried out immediately.

Many camps and machines of "gold thieves" were destroyed by authorities - Photo: LT

In the coming time, the Provincial People's Committee will continue to direct forces to focus on completing the demolition and destruction of all remaining gold mines; at the same time, strengthen strict control of forest routes, maintain fixed and mobile checkpoints, and apply drones for remote monitoring to prevent recurrence.

In addition, the Provincial People's Committee requested localities to strengthen propaganda and mobilize people not to participate in or assist illegal gold mining activities; strictly handle violations, including cover-up and assistance, if any. Consider supporting means, equipment, and funding to maintain effective on-site control for a long time.

Previously, Quang Tri Newspaper, Radio and Television had many articles reporting on illegal gold mining activities in Sub-areas 582, 583 (former Vinh O commune) and 575H (former Vinh Ha commune). Through inspection, the authorities discovered traces of illegal activities such as camps, machinery, equipment and old mine systems. The units conducted raids, dismantled 19 camps, seized mining tools, drove the subjects out of the forest and set up 3 fixed control posts operating 24/24 hours at the hot spots.

Since April 2025, the Ben Hai River Basin Protection Forest Management Board has coordinated with the police and local authorities to maintain regular patrols and monitoring. However, there are still 9 old illegal gold mining tunnels located deep in the forest, in difficult terrain, posing a high risk of insecurity and have not been thoroughly handled, so the above situation is still recurring.

Le Truong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xay-dung-phuong-an-danh-sap-cac-ham-vang-trai-phep-tai-xa-ben-quan-196381.htm